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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25907803">a million little times</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohjustpeachy/pseuds/ohjustpeachy'>ohjustpeachy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Tony Stark Bingo Fills [15]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Misunderstandings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:08:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>990</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25907803</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohjustpeachy/pseuds/ohjustpeachy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“I love you,” Tony says again, almost in disbelief. He meets Steve’s eyes and their hands still. “I’ve... I’ve told you that before, right? I’m sure I have,” he says, eyes searching Steve’s for an answer.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Steve Rogers/Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Tony Stark Bingo Fills [15]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1601260</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>310</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Tony Stark Flash Bingo</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>a million little times</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>for my flash tony stark bingo card<br/>replacing the "ultron" square with the adoptable prompt "bold"</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>“Wanna come up?” Tony asks, using a finger to brush a stray piece of hair away from Steve’s forehead; it’s falling into his eyes like it always does when it’s been too long between haircuts. His hair’s so long now, Tony thinks, passively, and he’s definitely due for a haircut. Then he remembers that he didn’t always know things like this. Wasn’t always aware of the minutiae of Steve Rogers’ life, and now... Well, now he does. He notices <em>everything</em> when it comes to Steve, he can’t help it. The length of his hair and the length of the pause between his question and Steve’s answering <em>yes. </em></p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Almost no time at all, really, but still, longer than the last time he’d invited Steve up after one of these nights. <em>Dates?</em> Maybe. Something in Tony’s brain said <em>probably</em> but he isn’t confident enough for that kind of surety just yet. Rhodey thought they were crazy, dancing around each other like this. Natasha called them exhausting. Tony is... confused, mostly. It’s not a sensation he’s used to, if he’s being honest. He’s used to being the smartest, most confident person in the room, and with Steve he’s decidedly not either of those things. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Steve makes him feel everything all at once, every nerve ending, every feeling and thought rushing to the surface, reminding him just how long it’d been since he’s felt anything remotely close to what he’s feeling now. It’s too much, yes, but it’s somehow not enough. Because he’s never <em>sure.</em> He wants Steve to come up because that’s what they <em>did</em> at the end of one of these nights. He wants to know if tonight had been a date, like, a real one, and not something he made up in his head. Better yet, he wants Steve to come up because slowly but surely he’d been stashing his stuff at the penthouse, and had moved himself in, one piece of clothing at a time. He wants Steve to come up because <em>he loves Tony too.</em></p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>But Tony doesn’t know <em>any</em> of those things. He takes stock of what he does know: 1. Steve’s looking at him with those big blue puppy dog eyes, like he’s waiting for Tony to decide what happens next, which is comical, really. 2. Steve has come up after every one of their nights out in recent weeks, but, 3. It’s only ever been at Tony’s invitation. Tony knows what <em>he</em> wants but that’s neither here nor there if Steve doesn’t want it, too. Steve’s eyebrows lift. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Tony,” Steve says,” are you listening?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Tony blinks. “Yes,” he huffs. Then he thinks. Had he <em>actually</em> heard what Steve said? “Sorry,” Tony corrects himself. “No, what did you say?” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Steve’s gaze softens. “I said it’s up to you. I always want to come up, but...” He trails off, his expression pained. Did <em>Tony</em> do that? Make him look all sad like that? That’s not what he’d intended at all. He just... He can’t keep sleeping with Steve like he’s some random bar hookup. He doesn’t want that for either one of them, and it scares him, both wanting Steve so much <em>and</em> realizing the power that gave Steve to hurt him. To crush his whole heart in a matter of seconds. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Tony’s quiet. “You don’t have to,” he says, finally. His voice is impossibly small and he hates it. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Of course I don’t <em>have</em> to,” Steve says, like the idea is preposterous. “But I want to. I just... want to make sure you want me to, too.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It’s Tony’s turn to stare. This is ridiculous, surely they’re past this. “Of course I want you to. I <em>love</em> you.” The words float out of his mouth so quickly he doesn’t have a chance to stop them. How long has he been wanting to say that? God, it feels like forever, really. Maybe it has been. “But you know that.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Steve blinks. “You... <em>what?</em> Of course I don’t know that, Tony,” he sputters, face pink in the evening light. His eyes are glistening and Tony hates himself, a little.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Though, wait... Tony <em>had</em> told him that, right? He’s just been waiting for Steve to say it, too, right?</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>Right?</em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><em>“</em>I love you too,” Steve says, his voice high and slightly choked sounding. “I didn’t know if you... Well. I didn’t know if we were there yet, and I didn’t want to scare you off,” he says, reaching for Tony’s hand. He’d been picking at a loose thread on his sweater and Steve takes it in his own, kissing his knuckles, then his palm, soft and sweet.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I love you,” Tony says again, almost in disbelief. He meets Steve’s eyes and their hands still. “I’ve... I’ve told you that before, right? I’m sure I have,” he says, eyes searching Steve’s for an answer.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Good,” Steve says, sighing happily. “Good, I was really... I’m glad,” he says finally. “You hadn’t, actually” he adds as an afterthought. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Tony squeezes Steve’s hand in his. “I swear, I’ve told you a million times in my head, I just... guess for once my thoughts didn’t make it to my mouth. Okay,” he says, “Good.”  Because it is, it’s more than good, it’s <em>everything</em>, really. “So... you’ll come up?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Of course,” Steve says, looking at Tony now like there’s nothing he wants more. “Lead the way.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Tony smiles, and his cheeks feel like they might split clean it two. How long has he been smiling like this, he wonders. It doesn’t matter, though. <em>Steve loves him</em>. He leans in and brings their lips together, a test or a promise of both, he isn’t sure, but Steve cups his jaw, chases the quick kiss Tony offers with one that’s much deeper, much more real, much more <em>everything</em>. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I can do that,” Tony breathes, squeezing Steve’s hand in his. And he can. <em>Steve loves him</em>, and with that knowledge, he feels like he can do just about anything. </p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i'm omg-just-peachy on tumblr, come say hi!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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